Danganronpa: The Depths of Despair (SYOC)
by DancingCactuar
Summary: Ayumi Mizushima is on what the outside would appear to be your typical 17 girl. Although all of this changes when she is enrolled in Hope's Peak Academy. Ayumi along with 15 of her fellow classmates are knocked out and forced to play out a Killing Game in a dystopian future where all that remains are the scars of hope and the remains of what once was a prosperous world.
1. SYOC Form

A/N: Hello everyone! My name is DancingCactuar and while I am fairly new to FanFiction itself I have already got to meet many wonderful people here in the Danganronpa community who have really made me feel welcome! Still at this point I feel like I want to be able to give back to the community so I have decided that I'm going to crack my writing knuckles and start my own SYOC story which I'm happy to announce is called *Danganronpa: The Depths of Despair*. For those who are curious this story will be separate from the main story arcs found in the Hopes Peak arc and the V3 story although locations may be referenced during the story. This story is set as though the events of Danganronpa Trigger Happy Havoc and Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair did not occur. This story will still have the format of 16 teenagers entering Hope's Peak Academy although trust me when I say that the events and secrets that will be unfolded throughout the story will be nothing like any of the Danganronpa games you have played and I hope to make it as exciting and shocking as possible for you pleasure! After the following small introduction I will put down the form for your characters and I hope to see some applications for the story! If you wish to send a couple of characters that is fine as well, just let your creative juices flow! Now without further ado I reckon I should probably introduce this protagonist of mine and introduce her to the new depths of despair! Upupupupupupu…

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 _So, you know how most stories either end in a song of cheer or happiness or end in utter sadness and misery? Well this isn't exactly that kind of story as well… it's kinda complex and the more I think about what happened in that place the more I feel like my brain is going to go into some massive meltdown. It's not exactly normal in any stretch of the imagination and I reckon all of you are reading will think I've literally gone insane after you hear what I say but trust me everything I say is going to 100% accurate! Guaranteed or else you get your money back! Or well, you aren't paying to read this so… Well I'm sure you can have something back!_

 _Anyway, I suppose I should get to introducing myself as at the moment you're literally reading the ramblings of a stranger; I mean I'm not strange but yeah… right. My name is Ayumi Mizushima, such an amazing name right? Although I guess most people dislike their names so I'm not that special in that regard. Still, I was accepted to attend this prestigious school called Hope's Peak Academy. Basically, they scout out for teenagers who have a talent in a certain area and invite them to the academy with the hope of helping these teenagers hone this talent even further so they can act as a beacon of hope and inspiration for the rest of society. It's all very over the top and pretentious for my liking and to be honest when I got the letter from Hope's Peak Academy with an invitation to join as the Ultimate Triathlete I think my heart sank. My parents of course enrolled me without further delay to my chagrin so that they could tell their friends their daughter was an Ultimate. It kind of annoyed me at first for reasons you'll find out later but still… it happened. I was a student at the illustrious Hope's Peak Academy and I was about to enter the most hellish, wild ride of my life. I hope you all stick around as trust me, you may need to grab the proverbial sick bag for the chaos that is about to come._

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 **GENERAL FORM:**

Name: (The first and last name (Plus a nickname if you so desire))

Gender: (Male or female?)

Age: (15-18)

Talent: (Please try to avoid ones in Danganronpa 1, 2, 3 and V3 if possible)

Height:

Weight:

Sexuality: (Pretty much open to all sexualities)

Nationality: (Japanese is preferred although I will accept a few foreign people as well)

 **THEIR PAST LIFE:**

History: (Time to be creative! This is your chance to show me what your character's past was like and how it has shaped them into the person they are today. I don't mind darker backstories but just make sure they're not too crazy)

Family and Friends: (Here you can list family members or friends that your character has)

 **VISUALS:**

Physical Appearance: (This is where you explain how the person look such as skintone, hairstyle, eye colours etc. I don't mind what they look like too much as long as it's reasonably realistic. I don't want men with 28 inch chests.)

Normal Wear: (This is the normal outfit that your Ultimate would wear. You are open to creativity as long as the outfit isn't in any way offensive and matches your Ultimate's talent)

Special Wear: (An outfit which the Ultimate will wear on special occasions such as a formal event or a party. This is optional but if you want to go ahead!)

Swimwear: (Pretty self-explanatory)

Special unique features: (Things such as scars and birthmarks if they are applicable)

Physical Health Issues:

 **MENTAL PROFILE:**

Outward personality: (How does your Ultimate act around people initially? How do they want to be seen by others as a first impression?)

Inward personality: (How does your Ultimate act around those they feel closer to? The personality traits that are closer to who they are as a person)

Mental Health Issues:

Mentality (Before Monokuma appears): (How do they feel about being an Ultimate in the Academy? Do they want to make friends? What is their approach to their new school life at Hope's Peak?)

Mentality (After Monokuma appears): (How would your Ultimate react to being told about this Killing Game they are being forced to participate in? Would they be scared? Would they try to stay strong for others?)

Speech: (How does your Ultimate talk? Their tone and pace of speech essentially)

Mannerisms: (Does your Ultimate make gestures while they talk etc)

Greatest Fear: (What is your Ultimate's greatest fear?)

Greatest Secret: (What is your Ultimate's greatest secret?)

Likes: (5 of these please)

Dislikes (5 of these please)

Positive Interactions: (List the traits of people they would get along with)

Negative Interactions: (List the traits of people they would not get along with)

Love: (If your character would be interested in a relationship what would their ideal partner be like?)

 **THE ACTUAL STORY:**

Victim, Killer or Survivor?: (While it isn't guaranteed I will take into account your preference in the story. Explain why you think your character would be what they are)

Motive to Kill (If you picked Killer above): (Why would your character decide to murder someone?)

Mastermind: (As of now I have yet to decide if an OC will be the mastermind but state here if you wish your Ultimate to be one if it happens and explain why)

Character Development: (Any ideas for development of your Ultimate throughout the story)

Free Time Events: (Any ideas for Free Time Events that your Ultimate will spend with Ayumi)

 **DURING THE TRAIL:**

Involvement: (How involved in the trails would you say your character would be? For example, would they try to stay quiet or would they be trying to help out as much as possible?)

Accusation (While Innocent): (How would your character react to being falsely accused of murder?)

Accusation (While Guilty): (How would your character react to be accused when they are actually the blackened?)

Watching an Execution: (How would your character feel having to witness another person's execution?)

Being Executed: (How would your character react to being found guilty resulting in their execution?)

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Anyways, sorry for the fact that the form is long but I'd like to get the detail so I can try to really do your OCs justice in this story! I hope to be seeing some applications soon!


	2. Prologue Part 1 (Plus SYOC info)

A/N: Hello everyone! This chapter's going to be a whole mixture of things so sorry if it becomes a bit chaotic. However, I hope you all enjoy what's to come in this chapter as I introduce Ayumi further through both her first moments in the story and a brief profile of what she looks like to make the experience for immersive.

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 **GENERAL FORM:**

Name: Ayumi Mizushima

Gender: Female

Age: 17

Talent: Ultimate Triathlete

Height: 5ft 5 (165cm)

Weight: 124 lb

Sexuality: Straight

Nationality: Japanese

 **THEIR PAST LIFE:**

History: Ayumi's history will be revealed as the story goes on

Family and Friends: Ayumi has both a mother and a father whom she lives with along with a younger sister.

Both of her parents, throughout her childhood, have always felt the need to push her as much as they academically so that they could live off of her success and be seen as good parents. However, once they released Ayumi wasn't a natural academic they spent large volumes of money trying to find something that Ayumi excelled in until they discovered her talent for the triathlon after she began breaking records for school in swimming and sprinting. While she doesn't dislike her parents, her relationship with them isn't exactly the best. She gets along better with her younger sister who also shares a love of being active. Throughout her childhood, Ayumi has kept to small friend groups who tend to share similar interests.

 **VISUALS:**

Physical Appearance: Ayumi has fairly short black hair which is tied into a small bun like ponytail – with a cute panda hair bobble - although some of the hair falls to the front almost framing it. Her skin tone is a pale peach in contrast to her hair with a sharp focused looking face. Her eyes are fairly narrow with the irises wine red in colour. It's pretty apparent that she has little care for makeup as there are some faded blemishes lining her skin that she doesn't bother to hide. Her body while pretty lean and fit is still average when it comes to proportionality.

Normal Wear: Ayumi wears a maroon coloured nylon track jacket which is only zipped halfway up to show a standard black sports bra underneath. On her right wrist, she wears an advanced watch which has features such as a timer, pedometer and a heartrate monitor built into it. On her legs, she wears black yoga style workout trousers that go to just below her knees. In addition, on her feet, she wears a pair of black trainers with maroon coloured laces.

Special Wear: Ayumi keeps her hair in the same ponytail but actually wears something a bit more appropriate being a sleeveless red patchwork knit dress which has transparent panels around the hem of the skirt. Along with this she wears some black ankle boots.

Swimwear: Ayumi keeps her hair tied now in a much tighter bun keeping it set in place. If training she will also wear an official Japanese swimming team cap. For casual swimming, she will wear a standard red bikini and for training, she wears a white and red streamlined competitive one piece.

Special unique features: She has hypermobility in her hands which she will sometimes use to creep her sister out for a laugh

Physical Health Issues: None

 **MENTAL PROFILE:**

Likes: Pandas, train rides, the night sky, scented candles, exercising

Dislikes: Cake, large cities,purikura, seagulls, reality television

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 **PROLOGUE: A FUTURE BEYOND SALVATION**

Beyond the frosted window panes of the bustling train lay the concrete jungle, also known as Tokyo. Skyscrapers and office blocks all commanding their own presence as they compete for dominance over the cityscape. Business monkeys march with their briefcases to the beat of society's drum and all seems normal. I, of course, couldn't stand any of it as I gaze out of the window to look at the city which would become the hub of my high school life. There's just something about the big city which feels… fake I suppose. There's no real heart or soul like there was at home, no community or sense of comradery. When you live in the city you work like a slave then drink like a maniac and the cycle repeats and repeats – assuming you're a man at the very least. If you're a woman then you have to try twice as hard to get the same lifestyle where you survive in the city. It's beyond my comprehension as to why anybody would want to submit themselves to this way of life.

As I sigh for what feels like the millionth time I feel that ever-present chilling palm press down on my shoulder; with some reluctance, I take a glance to see the disapproval of my mother as she makes a gesture to sit down properly. My mother is a complicated individual in all honesty. Some days she would seem in her own element as she hangs out damp washing then pounds the mochi then other days she would be tense and release all her pent up pressure on me. Today was one of those days. She clutched a letter in her hand which at this point has been crumpled up ever so slightly due to the pressure her stress had forced upon it; I reckon she must secretly be nervous about how I will react once we arrive at Hope's Peak Academy seeing as I don't even want to attend. It's just… being an Ultimate is something that I never wanted, I was happy with being an average girl who leads an average life. Having all this fame, glory and adoration thrust upon me - it's kinda uncomfortable.

A few seconds pass by in silence. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. Four seconds. Then my mother decides to speak, her voice quiet trying to avoid attention from the fellow train passengers who sat to either side of us.

"For goodness sake Ayumi, I didn't raise you to fidget around on public transport," my mother whispered in that harsh reprimanding way that mothers always seem to do perfectly. "However, if you really are distracted how about you do something proactive and read the newspaper?"

Before I even had time to respond - which in reflection probably would have earnt another verbal lashing- a newspaper was forcefully thrust into my lap. I took a moment to try and read my mother's face but she cottoned on to my attempts as she sharply looked down to her phone in a blatant attempt to shut me out. Looking at the newspaper for a moment I feel as though I'm about to sigh then that same chill spreads through me - not repeating that mistake twice.

I figure, why not look at the newspaper Ayumi? Maybe there's some 'interesting' sports article about how Mr. Arrogant the football player got a red card for tripping up Mr. Crybaby in the so-called 'match of the century'. Or maybe it's just another article complaining about the over expenditure of Japan's government on elite sports teams. Flicking through the pages I expected nothing more than the mediocrity of broadsheet boredom although something caught my eye; I mean once you read it I bet you'd agree with me that it's wackier than driving on the right side of the road.

 _FORGING FUTURES - CREATING CRYO HISTORY:_

 _For a long time, it has been considered normal for us humans to be born, to live and then to die as a natural cycle. However, breakthrough developments at Forging Futures Incorporated show that maybe there is a new way to provide cryogenic solutions to the mass market which are affordable and most of all reliable. In a day and age where we are still unsure of how to cure many types of life-threatening illnesses and diseases, it is said that these developments may be able to save the lives of people today._

 _Dr Satoshi Iwata made the following statement regarding such proposals: "These new developments mean that we are now able to progress onto the next stage of our research which will involve using live organic material and preserving them for prolonged periods of time to ensure that our state of the art cryogenic pods will be safe for humans to use. The plan, of course, is once we are satisfied that the results live up to our control and safety standards; candidates with severe illnesses and diseases will be selected off a short list with the invitation to join as the first people to take part in this miraculous solution to prolonging life. The reason this is so important is that while they lay dormant due to the fact that the cryopreservation will reduce the brains need to function to a very limited amount - medical professionals can search for the solutions to cure them for their illnesses to ensure that they can keep living in peace and comfort."_

 _As you can tell, this news is an exciting new part of a journey for Japan's healthcare system. Such developments have also lead to speculations such as alleviating other problems that Japan face such as a declining population._

 _A member of the ruling political party who wishes to remain anonymous for this report stated the following: "Depopulation is an issue that our country has faced in recent years due to a lack of women wanting to have children. The new developments of cryogenics mark a new motivation for the women of Japan to feel safe and secure about having children in the case of either mother and child developing an illness. We hope that this news will have an impact on all age groups and believe that this is news that should be celebrated."_

 _Forging Futures Incorporated have yet to release news on when they expect to begin their cryogenic treatment for Japanese residents although with the success that we have seen so far there is no doubt that the future of Japan is as bright as its rising sun._

 _Written by Fujita Hitomi_

That's right boys and girls… The cryogenic freezing of people. The fact that humans can do so much now is actually pretty frightening. I mean think about it? If we can do that now then imagine all the new technology and weaponry that humans will develop in decades to come. It makes me wonder if humans are going to end up with more power than they can even handle. Still, these are pretty petty things to wo-

"The train will now be arriving at Hope's Peak Station. The doors on the right side will open," the mechanical drone of utter despair states as it cut off my train of thought and thrusts me back into the harsh reality of attending Hope's Peak Academy.

Before I could even react, which is embarrassing for a sportswoman I will admit that much, my mother takes the initiative to grab my arm and drag me up with a bit too much force. She probably expected me to try and cling onto the train seat or something which I can also admit was pretty tempting at the time. With a fair bit of force, I feel myself flying off a bit to a side. For a few seconds, everything is silent, serene. Well until I feel a gross throbbing pain in my forehead as my head collides with the sharp chin of a taller man - yet again another example of how my luck apparently decided to flush itself down the toilet in an act of defiance.

As I prepare myself for the ritual of apologising profusely to this random man I had ever so eloquently head-butted my eyes casually to the nametag pinned to his left pocket of what appeared to be a stained lab coat: SATOSHI IWATA.

"I'm sorry sir," I babble out trying to be the polite girl my mother expects of me as I practically feel her eyes bore into the back of my head as though she's drilling something into me.

"..." The man takes a moment to assess the both of us, once to me then to my mother. Since this interaction is highly awkward and embarrassing for me I think I'll just describe how he looks then skip the entire conversation and act as though I teleported to Hope's Peak Academy despite it being a ten-minute walk away from the station.

Satoshi Iwata, or well Dr. Satoshi Iwata as he would probably want to be called is a tall imposing man. Almost like the monkeys of Tokyo except with a lab coat and a company tie. Black hair perfectly combed and slicked back and a face which was streaked with an ever constant aura of cockiness. The perfect asshole. The intelligent scumbag. To be honest any description with something honorific with the blunt truth after it.

Now back to the more interesting part, well 'interesting' as I seem to be reiterating. I stand in front of Hope's Peak Academy, glancing upwards as it towards over me with an oddly threatening opulence. As if the building was analysing me and determining whether I was even worthy of entering its sacred grounds. Each of the brown bricks marks a day of which I will be alone here, striving towards my goal to be the best I can be. Each of the brown bricks marks a day of which I will be closer to proving to myself that I can be something. Although one thing I never knew was that each of those brown bricks would mean minutes till I died. As let's face it, you don't go to school to die. Do you?

"Ayumi, for goodness sake are you just going to stand there like a godforsaken gormless oaf? You'd better not do anything stupid while you're there! I expect you to be on your best behaviour and I expect you to excel in your studies as remember what I said. Your title as an Ultimate is not some casual hobby that you can use as an excuse to mulch around like dead weight! It holds a responsibility which you MUST keep on top of," the voice of my mother snaps to my side yet it all sounds like a dream away as I just keep staring upwards at the Academy.

If this was the place where I was to spend the next few years then… I guess I'll just have to suck it up and try and make something out of it. I look towards my other who seems eager to burst into a second rant. Despite how she seems I know she loves me in some way, I think deep down she sees me as her daughter. Or at least I'd like to hope she could see me as that and not just an instrument or a tool. Without further delay I find myself holding the suitcase which would hold my next two years. A heavy case, crammed with the pressures of a mother on her daughter. I need to make her proud. I have no choice. As I watch her reciprocating the return route to the station, heals clicking against the concrete pavement I keep thinking to myself over and over again until it's a part of my being. That I have to make my mother proud. I have to make my father proud. I have to be successful and come out as the Ultimate Triathlete who can inspire hope into the hearts of the people. Otherwise, this will all be for nothing.

Wondering into the entrance hall of Hope's Peak Academy that optimism I had felt before plummeted into an unease of which I had never felt before, there was a pregnant silence that would never birth. As I look around the entrance hoping to spy even one person this silence, I feel the embrace as it coils itself around my lungs and began to squeeze at them as though it were a game. Every time my brain wants to call out to ask for help a pit in my stomach emerges. So I just keep looking around on my spot waiting for someone to appear to save me from this isolation. Nothing happens though, well until something happens. As something will always happen in the end.

In the distance, I see a flickering light coming from a room, the colour is a sickly yellow which pools out into the corridor as though it is spreading like a plague. Flash! Flash! Then a few seconds of putrid dullness. Flash! Flicker! Flash! It's almost like one of those horror films where there is the obvious dangerous light I the distance that the hero or heroine goes to and they get captured and dragged away somewhere. Although this is a school, so there's no need to worry obviously. I find myself compelled to move towards this light as the curiosity in the brain overcomes the silence in my lungs. Each step closer brings another thought about what this light could be. Is it my new classroom with my new classmates perhaps? Waiting to surprise me? The light becomes brighter yet the dullness remains somewhat as the vile yellow creeps down my neck and beneath my skin.

I take a moment to compose myself. Inhale and exhale. Four times in the shape of a square. It always works.

As I enter the room, there is nothing there but a screen at the end of the room which repeats this weird pattern of yellow and green swirls. No desks, no windows, no bookcases. Just a single smartboard screen. Staring at the screen my eyes fixate on the swirling shapes of yellow and green as they dance around each other in a motion. They attract and repel, then others rise and fall in a convection current. I watch them for minutes as I feel at ease now, my mind dulls to the point where it matches the yellow. Calmness. My heart calms down. There is nothing to fear here. This place is safe and relaxing. This place is-

THUD! CRASH!

" _Upupupupu… That was too easy, what gullible Ultimates I have the pleasure of meeting this year. I guess I'll just have to make sure I give it everything I've got."_

This is apparently the destiny of all the Ultimates. All 16 of us came here thinking that this was just our new education yet when we came here we would never have known the events that would follow. In fact, anyone who is reading this now could very well be the first person to know about the trials and tribulations we faced in our war against despair. If that's the case I just ask that you see this story through to the end, even if it's boring, or upsetting or well if you think you want to stop. Just please listen to my story. As I will not be able to repeat it again.

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 **I'm sorry if the intro isn't exactly the best. It's my first time doing anything like this and I'm going to be learning throughout the process so I hope to improve my skills as a writer as the story continues. Next time Ayumi will be going through a little TLC in the form of the classic Danganronpa hellish shock twist and maybe she might get to meet some of her fellow classmates who are also in for the metaphorical ride of their life. Either way** **, I hope you all enjoyed this extra continuation of the intro and I'll see you all next time! Goodbye o/**

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 **Also, to make sure people aren't any overlaps of talents I'm going to post a list of all the talents I have received so far. In addition, as it wasn't said before I'm looking for 7 female and 8 male OCs for this story so if people who have already sent one of one gender want to send in another then that is fine as well. I'm looking forward to seeing more OCs and once I pick 15 that I like I will continue the story of The Depths of Despair.**

 **1x Ultimate Taxidermist**

 **1x Ultimate Lolita Model**

 **1x Ultimate Ice Skater**

 **1x Ultimate Mangaka**

 **1x Ultimate Guitarist**

 **1x Ultimate Tattoo Artist**

 **1x Ultimate Knife Thrower**

 **1x Ultimate Book Nerd/ Bookworm**

 **1x Ultimate Critic**

 **1x Ultimate Accountant**

 **1x Ultimate Pump Deactivator**

 **1x Ultimate Surfer**

 **1x Ultimate Marksman**

 **1x Ultimate Medium**


	3. SYOC List and Author Update

**A/N: I'm so sorry that I have been unable to post anything! I have been incredibly busy the last few weeks with some personal things and haven't had the time to write anymore. At the very least I have the list of students who will be enduring this trip to the future so without further ado here are the lucky 16:**

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Females:

Ayumi Mizushima (Ultimate Triathlete)

Fumiko Kaikei (Ultimate Accountant)

Ezra Kirishira (Ultimate Tattoo Artist)

Junsi Seregeki (Ultimate Lolita Model)

Yoko Koruda (Ultimate Speedrunner)

Kotori Akazawa (Ultimate Taxidermist)

Fuyu Yukimiya (Ultimate Snowboarder)

Xueyuan Li (Ultimate Chess-Player)

Males:

Tohru Fujimori (Ultimate Knife Thrower)

Akira Chi (Ultimate Guitarist)

Shun Kodori (Ultimate Mangaka)

Sanji Yamaguchi (Ultimate Ice Skater)

Rinji Yukiyami (Ultimate Photojournalist)

Niko Mikado (Ultimate Oceanic Navigator)

Sora Mikuni (Ultimate Astronomer)

Rakuen Ootaka (Ultimate Falconer)

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 **In terms of the next chapter, I'm going on holiday to Japan for a couple of weeks so I will try to do the character introductions/ Monokuma's appearance when I get back from holiday. On the plus side, I should be less busy then so I can start updating the story at a regular pace. Thank you for your cooperation and I hope you enjoy what is to come as trust me, I have been thinking a lot of ways to make it interesting and unique for all of you reading this.**


	4. Prologue Part 2 (Desert Encounters)

**A/N: I apologise for this being so late. I've been very busy over the last month for various reasons. As I mentioned I went to Japan for the latter part of March and the first week of April and since I have gotten back I've had to put a lot of my attention to important personal things that needed to be resolved. Still, I am happy to say that I have finally got a chapter here which I feel happy to present to all you readers. With everything I do, I always try to put as much effort into it as I possibly can so I hope it meets up to your expectations. Now without further ado, I present the first proper chapter of the Prologue! Happy reading!**

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 **2XXX: MYSTERIOUS TRENCH, ?**

"Huh? What the hell?" was all I could manage to groan out as my eyes forced themselves open to scan the surroundings. I was half expecting to just be in my own bed at home you know? Like when you have a nightmare and just wake up in a bit of a sweat to just realise everything was alright. Except… this time I knew things were not as normal; I could feel the intense burning in my lungs every time I tried to draw even a slither of breath, I could even sense the dull throb of the ligaments and tendons, clearly, they had not taken kindly to whatever had happened here. As my eyes adjusted to the surrounding area it was as clear as day - or well, in this case, an overcast day - that wherever I was, it wasn't a place I ever knew existed. Or well at least this limited view gave me that sneaky suspicion, seeing as I didn't naturally find myself drawn to this sort of environment.

Pulling myself up into a sitting position, after many a gasp of pain, I took the time to scan the area. It appeared that I had collapsed in some form of shallow ridge or trench. The ground around me looked to be made of natural clay, baked under the heat of the sun until small cracks began to emerge within the ochre surface. Even touching the ground I could feel the warmth of the setting sun being retained within the clay. Makes me glad that I woke up in the evening and not the middle of the day as I would not be wanting to deal with scorched limbs. As I looked around to even see if there were any signs of plant life all that met my search were the remaining corpses of what would have been small bushes. In all, I counted around fifteen or sixteen of them, but each and every one just seemed to be a warped pile of brittle branches at this point.

Gods, wherever this place was, it was clear that it was in the middle of nowhere and it was… pretty terrifying to be honest. I mean, in the best of times I try to at least stay 'calm and rational' rather than freaking out in a frenzied panic like some stereotypical drama queen in a slash and hack flick but still… Only moments ago I had been setting foot into what I thought was a school and to be here now? It was beyond unnatural...

Each minute that passed in a state of blissful inertia was something I really appreciated though. Never do I get the chance to stop and take these sort of breaks so… even though every fibre of my being was screaming at me that this was all wrong, I couldn't bring myself away from the fact that it was kind of peaceful having this quiet time to myself. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Fifteen minutes. They go by as I close my eyes trying to take the time to compose myself and relax a bit more before I tried to stand up. One thing I have learnt from my slavery to sport is that a composed mind means a composed body and I am not one for stumbling around wherever I am and causing myself any more harm than I already seem to be in.

So I'll just do that, I'm sorry if it irritates you who are reading this, but I do need to take my time when it comes to preparing myself. If you wanted a 'protagonist' with 'reckless abandon' then I guess I'm not your gal. Did I just say gal? Huh… Maybe I should carry on just for saying that?

I gradually dragged myself to my feet, it probably took way too long for an athlete, but I didn't really care at the time. Looking at the trench itself it seemed to be a couple of feet higher than myself when I stood at full height. As I - in quite obviously blind hope- glanced to the sides to come to the realisation that this trench went a long, loooooooong way in both directions, I grit my teeth before jumping up to try and pull myself up.

"Crap! Crap crap crap!" the audible cries of my lungs who were whelmed in a hellfire, burst out as I heaved my body onto the embankment.

A bitter battle which left my body broken. Or well at least it left my body even more broken than it was when it woke up from unconsciousness. Still, any progress is some progress, right? So I guess that counts for something?

As I glanced over the new landscape in front of me, I noticed how perhaps there was still some semblance of civilisation. Or what at the time I assumed was civilisation. In the distance stood a complex comprised of dull grey, stone buildings which towered above the baking desert as if it were asserting its dominance. Each building sported the remains of dried-up vines which coiled into the crevices of the masonry in addition to blackened windows which seemed to be for blocking intense sunlight during the day. I guess whoever lives or works in this complex has some aversion to the light? There were a total of five different buildings in all within this complex, each one having a slight variation in size and style. The one which stood out the most was the central building within the complex, which must have stood an extra story or two above the others. In front of this grand building, there seemed to be what appeared to be a courtyard with perhaps some kind of plinth for a statue along with even more of the 'Dead Plant' family who I already have gotten so readily acquainted with. The rest of the buildings each broke off from this makeshift courtyard and they all had different features:

One building, positioned to the right of the main building, was much smaller than the others but had what I guess should have been a glass dome roof to let the sunlight in but due to the vampire society that apparently lives here, it had also been blackened out with some kind of material. Still, it looked pretty cool and when I saw the dome roof I immediately began to think about whether it could be a swimming pool as well… I like swimming pools. Nothing weird about that right?

The next building in comparison had me pressing my eyes forward and straining to even notice anything remotely cool about it. Like the rest, it was constructed with the same stonework, but there was something about the building which just seemed to radiate archaicness. Perhaps being stood next to a squat glass dome did something to make it look like that?

Opposite that building on the right, the construction that stood there could only be described as an abandoned creepy old factory, which I would not be going near as it looked kinda off-putting as I said and well do I look like an arts and crafts enthusiast to you?

Finally, the last building that stood in this complex seemed to be similar in style to the main building, except to a slightly smaller scale. Whoever chose to build this complex clearly didn't have any creativity and just went for the whole 'just whatever' motif. Did a teenager try and design this or something?

Still, before I could even think about moving over in that direction, something else caught my attention in the corner of my eye. A playground, or well the remains of a playground with a couple of benches scattered around. The slide, that same old shiny metallic metal which blinds you while burning your skin at the exact same time. A seesaw, I remember seeing kids all the time at home when I was young playing on these. They'd always make it some overgross competition to see who could fly up the highest without falling off and crying as they scraped their knee or banged their head on the seat. Then my eyes slowly wandered off to something which well, when I saw it, I felt my heart drop into a pit below the burning lungs. I remembered it all. Seeing a swing.

 **? YEARS AGO: ? PLAYGROUND, ?**

" _Grandpa! Higher! Higher!" a giggling girl, hair tied into pigtails, cries out as she grips onto the strings of a swing. Everything about her… just seems to radiate a blissful youth._

 _The sun shone down over a simple playground: A swing, a merry-go-round, a seesaw and a slide. It was quite simple, yet to me it meant everything. Going to the playground after school. Going on the swing, it was part of who I was. I miss the days where I could be part of the wild youth before I was corrupted by the shackles of expectation. I miss the days of going on the swing in the playground. I miss being myself._

" _Come on! Higher! Grandpa please!" the girl seems to repeat her plea, her eyes opening now as she feels the swing slowly losing the momentum as the pendulum effects gradually returns back to the starting point. As I watch I sense the sorrow in her words, the tension in her tone, the despair in her face. As she turns around… I felt an impulse._

 _I turned my head._

 _I blinked._

 _I felt the urge to scream yet all that remains in the silence of reality._

 _My grandpa stands there, his body taut. Each limb, veins exposed and skin already claimed by the ever-present release of death. White. As I stare at him, his face fades away to the same old static. The screaming pierces my ears as I had to grip them tightly to even stand on my feet. As I continue to stare at the figure it lurches forward in echoing thuds. Each thud causes my vision to blur into the same static that rests on his face. The screaming continues. Lurch. Scream. Static. Lurch. Scream. Static. Lurch. Scream. Static._

 _Terminus._

 _My head violently throbs as I feel nothing for a moment, everything is empty. Everything is dead._

 **2XXX: ABANDONED PLAYGROUND, ?**

As I shake my head to try and remove the fuzziness, I began to hear a noise that escaped my ears the first time I even began to scope out this playground. My eyes slowly begin to pan over the form of what appeared to be a dozing girl. To say she was asleep during a situation like this was beyond me. Like who could sleep when they've literally been dumped in the middle of nowhere, with no idea what is going on?

In fact… the question I should have really been asking at the time was, who the hell was she? As I awkwardly glanced at her I noticed in her hand she had what appeared to be a half open bag of fruit gummies. That meant she must know something about what's going on here, or she is simply some crazy magician who can summon gummies to her hand at will.

Oh, I should probably describe the girl in question actually now that I think about it! She had dark brown, long hair tied up in a messy bun with two curly strands framing her face, white almost pale skin, her eyes were closed but it was pretty clear she had some form of sleeping issue due to the slight bags underneath them, a mole near her right eye, a B cup chest (let me just point out how I was actually pretty jealous of Miss B cup here, doesn't have the same issues as yours truly, Madame D Cup), a skinny body that's almost slightly underweight, trimmed fingernails, calluses on her hands and small, somewhat delicate lips which had a pronounced cupid's bow. Talk about the perfect example of a girl who looks naturally good, but has some body issues at the same time.

Her outfit was also pretty original too, it kind of gave off this professional working woman vibe to it. So, she wears a light brown button up top with the first two buttons undone and a freshly pressed white vest underneath. To complement this, she dons a lavender lightweight casual jacket which she had opened up, dark skinny jeans, dark brown flat shoes, a diamond-studded bracelet with a shiny dollar sign on her right wrist and a small gold charm bracelet with a picture of some man and a woman in it. I assumed they must have been important to her for them to be on a charm bracelet. I noticed on the floor next to the bench, she'd placed a fairly small handbag down, and inside I could barely see some maroon coloured glasses that almost looked alive from the way they were peeking out from a corner.

As I look down at her, thinking of how to even approach waking up this stranger, she lurches forward from her sleep, causing me to flinch as I barely hold back a yelp of shock; her face is pretty much soaked with a bit of sweat and her eyes are almost bulging as if she'd been spooked by some paranormal activity. I guess whatever she was dreaming about really must have frightened her as even her skin, which was naturally pale, was turning almost the same colour of the paper she had her accounting notes on in her handbag.

"..." the girl looked a bit dazed as her eyes adjusted to her surroundings, apparently she didn't even notice me as she let out a massive yawn. I reckon if there was a world record for the loudest yawn this girl could claim it in spades. Although as she yawns, I found myself struggling to withhold my own as eventually I find myself yawning, although not nearly as epically as this girl did.

Of course, as soon as I yawn her attention shifted towards me. I was awaiting some barrage of questions or a panicked response, but all I received was yet another tired, yet not vacant stare of a girl who just seemed to be almost uninterested in my presence here.

"Hello?" I greeted her awkwardly, as I slowly found myself sitting down next to her on the bench, her gaze following me as I did. Talk about a rough crowd, she either seems to be analysing me or is just not one for meeting new people.

"Hello," a voice that blended both monotone rigidness and politeness returns the greeting, now I can clearly see her eyes shimmer a pretty shade of deep purple. Here I was thinking I was the only person in the world with odd coloured eyes, but I guess I'm not alone in the freaky eye club.

"So uh… Do you have any idea what is going on here? As I literally just woke up in a ditch and climbed out of it, to find myself in the middle of a desert with some random creepy stone buildings," I inquired hoping this girl would be able to at least provide some answer to rationalise whatever the hell was going on in this place.

"I don't know I'm sorry," the tired voice replied as she covered her mouth to let out the second yawn in her world record attempt. I watched as she looked down at her bag with what I know - trust me with my parents I get this feeling a lot too - was an internal sigh and reached down to grab a bunch of papers and a pen. This girl whoever she was, seriously needed to get some proper sleep or something.

"So… What are those papers you have there?" I tried to keep some form of a conversation going as let's face it, this girl could be my ticket into getting out of this situation and I was not going to let her tired reluctance to talk, get in the way.

"Accountancy papers, I do them to occupy my time. It is pretty befitting you know, of the Ultimate Accountant, to do this so don't go thinking it's surprising or asking me about why I'm doing them. No offence but, I'm just not a fan of talking for the sake of talking. So if you don't mind, I'm just going to get on with my work," the girl curtly replied, somehow she made that sound polite and inoffensive, even if she was basically telling me to piss off.

"Oh… I'm sorry, well uh… My name is Ayumi Mizushima and I'm the Ultimate Triathlete. It's nice to meet you?" I would try to find a way to keep this conversation going, even if it meant ripping those papers from her tense delicate hands and stuffing them back into her handbag in an act of organised chaos.

"Fumiko." the girl responds not even giving the time to look at me anymore, as she started writing some calculations down on the paper. From her expression, she seemed to gain some form of enjoyment from the numbers, as at least when she was writing, I saw a slither of a smile from beneath the cranky exterior she was fronting.

 **FUMIKO KAIKEI - ULTIMATE ACCOUNTANT**

"Right, so Fumiko. I can see you're busy with whatever it is you're doing, but it'd be nice if we could.. you know… talk a bit? Get to know each other, maybe we can go over and explore those buildings and see if we can find out something about what is even going on here? There could be other people as well."

As I mentioned all of this, Fumiko gave me a side glance and her expression of disinterest spoke volumes, "Why would I get up and walk all the way over to the buildings? I'm fine doing this work for now, maybe later if I have nothing else to do."

I bit my lips as I could feel this battle slowly slipping to Fumiko's victory. 'Come on Ayumi… There must be something here you can use to fire at Fumiko and break down her defences. Like… Uh… This is actually harder than I had anticipated! Damn you Fumiko!'. I reckon she could sense my slight frustration, as I thought of what to do, through the way she continued to side glance at me noticing I wasn't bothering to budge.

"Ayumi right? I'll come along if it makes you feel better. As long as I'm doing something, I should be fine and I can always continue with this work later on," Fumiko, for some reason, accepted defeat even though I was in a losing battle as she began packing her stuff away into the handbag, "Maybe I can find more of these gummies as they're really good. There's apple, strawberry, grape and pineapple flavour in this individual packet according to the information here."

Pretty oblivious to the last thing Fumiko said, I found myself awkwardly hugging her in appreciation, glad that someone was at least going to be by my side as I tried to figure out what the hell was going on. Of course, I reckon she found it pretty weird and awkward from her attempt to squirm out of the hug, but still I didn't mind. I'd at least found someone here and that was a victory in itself for me. (If you can't tell, I don't exactly have high standards when it comes to things make me feel happy. I kind of just feel happy whenever I have freedom and can spend time with people.)

"Ayumi… Please? Can we go?" Fumiko protested, a meekness emanating from her tone, trying to break out of the hug but failing miserably. After a few more seconds I gave her mercy from my crushing hug. She seemed pretty relieved, as I could even hear some small wheezes from where I crushed her abdomen with my hug. I probably should've apologised but… well, she did say we should go so I suppose it doesn't matter that much when you consider our current situation. There were other things clouding my head, essentially the fact that my amygdala was waving the white flag - not that I would ever admit that or show it in front of Fumiko.

We then began to head off in the direction of the courtyard, pretty much the both of us holding fearful joy in the ventricles of our hearts. Or well I assumed Fumiko was, by the way, that she didn't trudge too much or look like she wanted someone to put her out of prolonged misery. Perhaps we could end up being friends over time? I'm reckoning that's a possibility if she'd just let me talk to her easier without being so guarded. But what can you do? Some people are just naturally serious, I doubt it's a persona at the very least. After approximately ten minutes of silent walking (or well jogging then waiting a minute for Fumiko to catch up due to the fact that I could not even begin to budge her to jog alongside me), we arrived at the edge of the courtyard.

 **2XXX: COMPLEX COURTYARD, ?**

That's when I noticed it was definitely as depressing as my original diagnosis of the vicinity - it honestly made even Fumiko look like an enigmatic explosion of euphorium which really was saying something… In the centre was the plinth that I mentioned before, but what I had failed to identify was the fact that it was part of a fountain feature. As I went to glance into the fountain all that met my eye was a slithering mass of algae that writhed around in undular motions.

"Gross…" I muttered in disgust, imagining what it would be like if I had to swim through something like that during a triathlon. In fact, who the hell even lets a compound end up in such an abysmal state as it is right now.

"That reminds me of…" Fumiko's face surprisingly changed to a slightly green - puce- colour as she turned to look away from the algae clearly disgusted with it for whatever reason. It's probably better to not even question her, even though I was kind of curious as to how her reaction was that bad to just algae.

As Fumiko and I simultaneously acted all grossed out by the beautiful decor that graced us, the chirp of a sophisticated voice sliced through the air as if it were a katana through flesh, actually kind of sending a weird jolt of shock down my spine, making its presence immediately known to the two of us, who were engrossed in our disgust.

"Greetings! I see there are in fact other students here. I am glad though, I thought I was the only individual on the premises. Henceforth, I want to make sure I am aware of who you two are."

As my head turned to meet the face of this voice, the first thing that honestly entered my head was, ' _Holy crap… Okay, now I actually appreciate you a hell of a lot more Fumiko. I promise you that.'_

In front of me, leaning against one of the decaying trees stood a man- or well a man, it was hard to tell at the time- who in all honesty resembled, within my mind at the very least, a human-crow crossbreed. This guy was actually fairly tall especially compared to a shortarse like myself and his body structure is built pretty sharply when compared to that of the average guy. Despite being of a healthy weight, he looks like the kind of guy who you wouldn't want to receive a hug from due to his overall boniness. Like Fumiko has pale skin, but in addition to this, his face is flushed with a smattering of freckles on his cheeks. The guy has prominent cheekbones and a hooked nose, resembling the beak of that crow I just mentioned. His black hair has been slicked back, but two locks curl to frame his face. Something that stood out to me though was the fact that his eyes looked lighter than I thought they would be. They're still brown, but when you think of a crow they have black eyes, so it kind of threw me off guard at the very least. What really sent a curveball in my direction though was the fact that this guy actually had his nails painted black. I don't think I had ever seen a guy with any form of makeup or nail art before, so this was for sure a new experience.

I hear you are asking for the crow man's fashion review? Let Ayumi Mizushima give you the rundown: The guy wears an earthy green shirt, with his sleeves loose causing it to resemble a pair of bird's wings if he chose to lift them up, due to them being almost robe-like in design (Talk about really driving the bird motif home… Geez…). On the back of the shirt, a pair of angel wings have been embroidered. He wears a falconer's glove on his left hand, and the other hand is bandaged up to his arm. His pants, in contrast to his shirt, are black and form-fitting and he also wore brown boots. The crow man sports the most recent trend known as 'accessorising' as shown by wearing a chain with a feather around his neck, and silver studs in both ears. He also sports a silver pair of circular glasses which, I must admit, do actually look pretty cool on him so I'll give him a bonus point for that. So, crow man gets a score of 8/10 on the Ayumi Mizushima Fashion Review section. I hope you enjoyed my description of his outfit and stay tuned for the next instalment which is going to be in this chapter anyway.

The guy continued to look at us, as we exchanged this ever so awkward exchange of staring at each other hoping that the other would say something first. This my friends is a classic example of the 'aloof type'. Someone who suddenly acts distant and doesn't seem to talk for whatever reason it may be. I guess I'd just have to speak to him at the rate this was going…

"Uh… can we help you, sir? You just spoke and now you're not speaking," I awkwardly asked him, baiting for at least some form of answer.

"Looking at all the trees in this courtyard, seeing them all decayed… It makes me feel empathetic for the birds that may try to reside in them. Moreover, the practicality of nesting within such branches is null. Such is a sad reality for any wildlife in this compound," the guy trails, clearly going off on some tangent, as he thinks about something deep within his own mind.

"Hello! Earth to the guy leaning against the tree! My name is Ayumi Mizushima and this is Fumiko, she's the Ultimate Accountant and I'm the Ultimate Triathlete! It's nice to meet you!" I raised my voice a bit, hoping to break through this guy's strange tangent daydream. As I shout I reckon I can hear Fumiko jolt a bit not expecting the sudden noise. I'm also anticipating the stink eye, not that I care about it this moment. Operation Get Guy To Socialise is a go!

"Excuse me, where are my manners. My name is Rakuen Ootaka, I'm most commonly identified as the Ultimate Falconer. For me, the birds that soar through the sky are quite frankly magnificent. Especially all the eagles and vultures, due to the fact that their wingspan in immense in width. Although none can beat that of the condor, specifically the Andean Condor whose wingspan is over three metres long. In fact, that is actually about half the length of a full grown elephant. It is incredible how they are able to support themselves so easily without becoming laboured; it truly is a testament to the intellect of the Andean Condor-" Rakuen seemed to be babbling on about his obsession with birds, so I took this opportunity to slowly back away and take stage exit left, dragging Fumiko along before she could even get a word in edgeways. I felt somewhat bad for abandoning him but… you get it. He's a bird brain, I'm a sports nerd. Not exactly a match made in heaven is it? Or even a match made on Earth if you think about it seriously enough…

 **RAKUEN OOTAKA - ULTIMATE FALCONER**

As we left Rakuen to his lecture on birds, I felt a small tap of my arm from Fumiko, as I glanced up at her, she seemed to be looking at me as if I were a child about to be scolded for taking the last sweet out of the sweet jar. At this point, it was safe to assume Little Miss Secretary, or whatever she calls herself, is about to file another letter of complaint to me in the form of a rant. In my head I could just imagine loads of little Ayumi, just crying out to build the barricades to protect my poor brain from having to hear this rant.

"Ayumi I-"

"Hey! Let's race to the building over there! I can see a couple of people and you know what they say? Uh… socialising is the key to success? Yeah, that'll do."

"Ayumi!" I could hear Fumiko yelp out in frustration, as I engaged the evacuation process by going into a full-on sprint in the direction of the building held up with the glass dome roof. It was actually closer than I had anticipated simply being on the edge of the courtyard. Although, I definitely didn't really trip up three times on the paving slabs used to create the designated courtyard area. Nope, not me. I am a professional therefore I will just say for creative liability, Fumiko tripped up three times trying to chase after me. Poor Fumiko right? Nah, she's fine.

 **2XXX: ? BUILDING ENTRANCE, ?**

The entrance was made up of the same stone foundation as the rest of the buildings; on top of this, stone slabs had been stacked in a haphazard design to make some contemporary finish. It pretty much looked like some apprentice construction worker had made it in an attempt to 'impress his boss.' So not that good overall. In the middle, there were sets of what I assumed to be glass sliding doors but, for whatever reason, I couldn't see through them. As I strained my eyes to try and see what was making the glass appear opaque, _it_ began…

"Fu-chan believes that this is obviously an indoor snow slope, look at the glass doors and the entrance. Don't you think so too? It sounds so exciting right?" this girl called 'Fu-chan' enthused, putting her hands on her face and squishing her cheeks as if she were in some pantomime.

The guy who she's speaking to, suddenly shook his head in response, seemingly in disagreement, as he shakily replied, "I must disagree with you there… Fu-chan? I think this is going to be an ice rink, it has the natural light dome effect, so it can shine light upon the ice skaters as they perform."

"I see, I see," 'Fu-chan' then puffed her cheeks up in response, as she stood up on her tiptoes to try and match the other guy's eye level, "Well, I must say that I think you are wrong in your judgement. You see I am an expert in knowing what snowboarding resorts look like and this fits the description left, right and centre."

"I..uh… Okay, right I'm s-sorry for doubting you…" the guy stuttered in response, as he looked at 'Fu-chan', a bit unnerved by her natural openness to talk. As I took a glance at the guy, it was pretty obvious he was nervous about offending this girl. Talk about a pushover, I reckon if he was any more nervous I could literally push him over, as his knees would be buckling underneath him. Of course, I wouldn't do that as I'm a really nice girl who doesn't do mean crap like that, but still…

"Don't worry, don't worry!" 'Fu-chan' seemed to gush as she grabbed onto the guy's hand in an act of reassurance, "I was just teasing you to see if you're really like ice or not. You may have a snowflake on your jumper, but you're really just like a slushie. All sweet and adorable."

As soon as 'Fu-chan' grabbed onto the guy's hand, his face seemed to blush slightly. He looked down at the hand as though he was contemplating what to even do next; apparently the ever enigmatic 'Fu-chan' had discovered a way to make the guy feel even more nervous and flustered than he already was. That was kind of a shame knowing now what that guy is really like…

"Ayumi!" I could hear the laboured panting of Miss Scoldilocks behind me, as a result, in my head I could hear the little Ayumi's hiding in their evacuation bunkers again.

As soon as Fumiko made her presence so obvious to what felt like the whole world with her panting - geez did she only ever walk to the fridge in her daily life? - the two strangers turned to look at the both of us. 'Fu-chan' was still gripping tightly onto the guy's hand, but neither seemed to actually notice their attention fully on the both of us. She immediately gave us both a natural welcoming smile already getting the idea that this was probably her miracle day or something where she could 'make loads of new friends.'

"Hello, hello! It is nice to meet you! My name is Fuyu Yukimiya the Ultimate Snowboarder! It's great to meet the both of you, I hope we get along really well," Fuyu practically sang before even giving me a chance to say a word. Good heavens, this girl has some pep to her.

 **FUYU YUKIMIYA - ULTIMATE SNOWBOARDER**

When you look at Fuyu, at first glance you might not even be able to tell that she is of Japanese ethnicity. I mean the girl looks like she could easily be on some European sports magazine with the way she looks. She had a soft, pale face that had clearly been taken care of much better compared to my own skin. It wasn't light enough to look unhealthy, which makes sense as even snowboarders can get a slight bit of a tan from snowboarding if the sun is out with its high UV ratings. Her eyes, that were set upon her face, kind of reminded me of those cute little gumdrops you could buy at the sweet shops - they were chartreuse and shone with an optimistic glow as she looked at the two of us. In addition to this, her hair was clearly not naturally blonde, but even still, it looked pretty well dyed. Her candyfloss hair would be fluffy to the touch - no I'm not a creepy girl with a hair fetish before you even think of mentioning it - and was short enough to reach the top of her neck. In all honesty, when I looked at her as a whole, I could see some of myself within her. We were both sportswomen, who seemed to take care of our bodies in terms of overall fitness and that was as clear as a cloudless day to see.

In terms of fashion though, well… That was something I reckon we could have been further apart on. She wore a cream coloured jumper with sleeves that covered her hands completely as if she had some fear of her hands getting chilly. Over her legs, she had a forest green skirt that reached down to and flowed around her knees. On top of her candyfloss hair, she also has a 'cute?' white beret adorned with a pink flower design - I wish I could tell you what these flowers were, but I have to put my hands up here when I say I'm not a flower expert- and white ankle length socks with black shoes.

Fumiko gave Fuyu a look, which I knew by this point, of ' _do I really have to deal with this right now?'_ but out of politeness replied, "My name is Fumiko Kaikei, Ultimate Accountant. You could say right now I'm being dragged around by my new 'friend' here."

'Oooooh… Her surname is Kaikei? That sounds pretty cool does- wait did she just use sarcasm towards me? Hell no! That's my domain Fumiko, you don't have permission to steal my thunder!'

"Oh, yeah… My name is Ayumi Mizushima. The Ultimate Triathlete. It's nice to meet a fellow sports nut like myself. Is this guy your boyfriend or something?" I tease as I nod to her hand, which was clamped onto the blushing guy stood next to her.

"Yeah, he's cute, right? Especially when he blushes like this," Fuyu giggles in response, easily picking up on the fact that I was purposely going to tease this guy for being flustered around a girl.

"N-No! This is a misunderstanding…" the guy suddenly realises, still holding Fuyu's hand and rips it free, not wanting to be the victim of this teasing anymore. He shook his head whilst waving his hands in front of him in protest. You know… It was actually sort of cute... in a completely sad and pathetic way.

"Aww… Don't worry San-kun. I won't tell anyone else about our special relationship. It can be our own little secret," Fuyu continues to tease as she provides him a cute little wink.

This wink apparently was a cuteness overload bullet.

"S-Stop it! Please… Can we not just talk like normal friends? I'd much prefer that, if that is alright with the rest of you?" the guy awkwardly smiles, he looks between the three of us hoping we'd just give in to his wishes. Too bad, Fumiko decided to ruin that with her typical 'I'm not your friend' routine.

"I'm not your friend," Fumiko bluntly responded to him, not wishing to get involved further with whatever was going on, she folded her arms fidgeting slightly with her jacket. As I took the time to glance over, I could tell that she was getting a bit annoyed with all this pointless teasing and small talk and just wanted to carry on, so that she could get back to her paperwork.

"Sheesh…" Fuyu sweatdropped, her eyes widening in shock from the bluntness.

Getting the general gist of Fumiko not caring for pleasantries, the guy decided to just get to the point for the sake of not wanting to be berated again, "Oh… I'm sorry Fumiko. Well, I'll just introduce myself properly to the both of you. My name is Sanji Yamaguchi. My talent is the Ultimate Ice Skater. I hope I can we can all get along."

 **SANJI YAMAGUCHI - ULTIMATE ICE SKATER**

At first glance, Sanji probably looks like an average guy you could see on the street. I mean, he still does look almost average, but if you take the time to look at him seriously you can easily see how there is a trained athlete hiding underneath those clothes. As someone who has seen plenty of fit men in her time, Sanji's physique is probably what I'd describe as the lean athletic type. I imagine doing all those jumps, spins and spirals would do that to a man though. I may be a sarcastic bitch sometimes, but I can recognise when respect is due and the amount of training ice skaters go through to reach excellence is astonishing. I kind of want to watch him in action… Moving on! Sanji had short, if not slightly messy black hair. His fringe pushed back to reveal his almost pale face. His facial structure was, while not soft, showed no signs of being rugged either. Contrasting his skin, his hazel eyes shone in the light as they watched all of us with positivity. I also noticed a small scar that laid on his left hand, but with Fumiko already in her Ultimate Crankiness mode, I felt it was probably not a good idea to get myself into another conversation with this guy even if the curiosity of it was getting to my head.

His outfit definitely was a hit with the 'Ayumi Mizushima Fashion Review' as it scored a very impressive 9.5/10. Over his chest, he wore a light blue jumper which almost shimmered as if it were snow itself- if I were a guy I would have definitely stolen that jumper off of him. On the jumper, over his left pectoral muscle, there was a white snowflake which had been expertly embroidered on by a tailor - I could tell by the craftsmanship demonstrated. The whole jumper really gave you a wintery vibe. Moreover, he completed his outfit with a simple pair of black trousers and some black boots to let the jumper really be the main attraction. Sanji Yamaguchi, your outfit has been officially approved!

"Right, well it was nice to meet you too but…" as I am about to finish speaking and was about to head off, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. It hadn't been at the forefront due to the adrenaline rushing through my head, but now that I'd been able to compose myself, I began to wonder who these people even were and how they had got here. If they were Ultimate students how is it that I had never even met any of them before? Why was it that all of us were in this random place in the middle of nowhere?

"We don't know why we're here or what this place is," Sanji trailed, desperately trying to sound positive through the dejection of the topic.

' _Great job Ayumi'_ I thought in my head, as the realisation came to my head, knowing that my face must have looked puzzled as I was asking those questions in my head.

Fumiko folded her arms then glanced over at the main building, "I awoke in there near the entrance. I don't even remember where I was in fact before I woke up… Everything from the day after I went to sleep feels like it's in a dense veil of fog."

Fuyu nodded her head as she listened to Fumiko speaking then chirped up, "Yes, it's the same for me too. I imagine anyone here will have had the same experience too. Maybe it would be a good idea for you to see who else is here, so we can all congregate and try and figure out what's going on?"

' _Of course, we'd be the ones who have to do the work whilst you two get to relax. Of course.'_

"Okay then, well we'll go and do that then," I sigh looking over to the main building thinking that may be the best location to investigate, "Have fun lovebirds."

"L-Lovebirds!" Sanji stammered, his cheeks flushing as Fuyu simply chuckled appreciating the jest.

Watching Sanji mumble to himself about how he is not Fuyu's girlfriend, Fumiko and I began to walk over to the main building which she had apparently woken up in. As I glanced upwards at it, I began to actually properly look at it for the first time. It appeared as though it were made in the same haphazard fashion as the domed building, as I inspected how the stonework seemed to be amateur at best. Yet due to how tall it stood, it gave off an incredibly foreboding aura. There must have been a good four or so stories of rooms in this place and each one had blocked out windows, giving the impression that nobody even lived inside the place. At the top of the building hung a decrepit clock face styled out of black and white steel, the long hand which should have been pointing at something, had snapped off slightly so it bent at an awkward angle, whereas the short hand was twitching back and forth pointing at the number four. Whoever is the landlord of this complex, clearly has no care for keeping anything presentable.

"Hmm…." a muffled voice of intense focus broke my contemplation

Taking the effort to trace the voice to its owner I noticed a guy, who was yet again taller than me, focusing as he took pictures of… a paving slab? Dude… I know photographs can be interesting, but if you seriously want to take a picture, at least take one of something interesting. I had to fix this, there was no way I was going to allow the guy to waste his time taking pictures of the ground. Therefore, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to try and sneak off except in my infinite stupidity I forget that Fumiko was next to me. I felt her hand grab onto my own, as she tried to pull me back next to her so we could continue heading to the main building.

"Ayumi! We don't have time to waste here, we need to head to the main building," she complained, as she sharply gestured her head as if she was expecting it to phase me in some way.

Okay! I actually have a defence this time! Activate the contradiction bullet! "Come on… We need to talk to everyone remember and anyway he might be cool, what if he's attractive and is your prince charming, and can whisk you away on a magical fantasy trip to a realm you never could of imagined being possible?"

Fumiko blinked for a moment, as if an epiphany washed over her, she then mumbled, "Well when you put it that way…"

I sweatdropped, not caring that I was staring at her in surprise that she could suddenly flip her attitude so quickly, simply at the mention of romance. Who is this girl and what planet did she come from?

"Look, Fumiko, I'm going to introduce us first then you can get to see if he's 'your type' or however you want to put it. How does that-" before I could even finish, Fumiko started heading over to the guy in question, already thinking about the prospect of romance - or well I'm guessing that is what she was thinking about, as her arms actually swayed by her side in her first resemblance of being genuinely human.

As we began to approach the guy, I reckon he noticed us way before we got close to him, as he suddenly span around and pointed his camera at us and began a barrage of flashing torture.

CLICK! FLASH! CLICK! FLASH! CLICK! FLASH!

"Holy shit! Cut that out man!" I yelled at him, not appreciating the gesture, as all I could see in my eyes were the swirls of lollipops and the zigzags of technicoloured zebras; I imagine this must be what it's like to be excessively drunk and to be honest it was a horrible feeling.

"Chill down my friend, if you get too hot my cool words won't be able to melt that fiery heart of yours," the guy replied with a small wink, his voice literally as smooth as butter itself. If it weren't for the fact that I was pissed off, I may have even swooned a bit.

"..." I just stared at him with a blank expression instead, not even sure what to say in response to that flirt. I am done. I am so done.

"Ah, I see… Seeing a face like mine must have really stunned you," the guy smiled brightly, finding this whole ordeal to be fun.

"..." I continued to stare at him vacantly, as Fumiko nudged my arm trying to budge me out of my dazed stupor.

"Wait did I accidentally spook her? Crap, I'm sorry I was just trying to friendly that's all," the guy protested, as he sheepishly grinned raising up his hands in protest.

"..." I was deliberating on whether to speak, I didn't end up speaking.

Fumiko let out a groan as she smiled politely to the guy, realising that at this point I was out for the count, "Don't mind Ayumi, she's probably just tired after all the running around she does. She is the Ultimate Triathlete after all, so it isn't a surprise."

"Ah I see, well would you grace me with your name?" the guy asked, keeping up his toothy white grin as he continued to assault us with his good looks and friendly personality.

"Oh! My name is Fumiko Kaikei, I'm the Ultimate Accountant… it's nice to meet you," Fumiko smiled in response, even blushing slightly.

"Fumiko. Are you a forty-five degree angle? Since to me, you seem perfect," the guy responds almost immediately, as though he has some bank of pick-up lines already lodged in his head.

"..." Fumiko looked at him stunned, as her cheeks blushed a violent pink in response. Yup, we're both tapped out now it seems. Time to ring the swoon ambulance!

The guy then began to laugh a bit in response, as he noticed us both blushing due to the onslaught of flirts, "I apologise, I just thought it would be appropriate to treat you, ladies, how you deserve to be treated that's all. Too often do people worry about things such as what other people may think of you or about what has happened in the past, so I feel it's good to get to know other people on a good foot. Don't cha think?"

I took a gulp, a small breath to compose myself then nodded, "Y-Yeah… That's a good philosophy to have uh?"

"My apologies, the name's Rinji Yukiyama. I'm the Ultimate Photojournalist. I hope we can become great friends whilst we're here… wherever here is. Not that that matters, as we're going to make sure to have the best time we can whilst we're here."

 **RINJI YUKIYAMA - ULTIMATE PHOTOJOURNALIST**

Now, time to describe Rinji. I know what you're all expecting from our reactions, but no he is not a complete heartthrob so don't bother getting your hopes up alright? Rinji had exotic olive toned skin which made him look like he belonged in some Mediterranean country, serving cocktails at a pool bar. He had yellow hair on the left side where his fringe hung over, his normal hair colour, jet black like most Japanese people, at his right. His hair is styled in a way where his fringe is parted to the left side, hanging low over his thin eyebrows with cowlicks from the left side. The right side is mainly where he keeps his hair slicked back and neat. He had rich honey coloured eyes, his nose firm and small, with his lips being thin. His face was heart-shaped - pretty befitting for a guy who enjoys his flirting right? His body was lean and a bit toned, however, he isn't muscular to the point of me making a comment about how he actually looks like an athlete, despite being a photojournalist. He appeared, strangely enough, to have rather broad shoulders, yet slightly feminine hands (although maybe not as effeminate as Rakuen). His hands were quite small, after all. I also barely noticed that he had a small birthmark at the back of his neck, although from the current angle I couldn't make out exactly what it was.

When it came to the outfit that Rinji wore, well it suited him that much I can say. Obviously, he wore his 'precious Canon Camera' over his neck as if it were some sacred idol that he had to keep on him at all costs. In addition, he wore a forest green jersey jacket over a dark blue dress shirt to really give off that vibe of being cool yet professional at the same time. He wore dark cargo pants as well as dark brown, somewhat worn out hiking boots. He also wore a silver wristwatch on his left wrist, although as I took the time to glance at it, I noticed that the actual time on the watch was not what I had anticipated. Unlike the clock face on the building, it claimed that it wa, in fact,t five o'clock. He also wore a leather bracelet around his right wrist to really fit in with that 'almost hipster yet not hipster vibe'. He also had a silver stud earring on his right, pierced ear. I never understood why men get their ears pierced…

"I see… Yeah, it's nice to meet you too Rinji…" I managed to garble out in response, taking in everything at once, in a tsunami of thoughts.

"..." Fumiko continued to blush, attempting to look away so she could compose herself in front of Rinji.

"You mentioned how you don't know what's going on right now? Doesn't that uh… concern you?" I stared at Rinji in genuine surprise, guessing as to how he could even just take all that was happening as normal.

"Of course not, think about it this way. Even if we are the only people here right now, we have to stay positive and keep going, as to sit down and mope would be a waste of time and time is precious. I believe in the fact that we'll be alright," Rinji smiled, trying to comfort us somewhat giving a thumbs up, his camera fell down so it hung loosely on its strap around his neck.

Rinji then clapped his hands suddenly making me flinch in response, he grabbed his camera and positioned himself so he could aim the lense at the three of us. I reckon this was a selfie and as much as I wanted to complain, I knew I'd be wasting my time.

"Say… I believe! After I get to 0 on the countdown," Rinji explained, clicking a button on his camera to start the countdown.

"5...4...3...2...1…"

"I believe?" I say to satisfy Rinji's needs, whilst Fumiko continues to look away with a case of mad blushing.

"This picture is great!" Rinji beams with delight, as he turns around the camera and analyses the picture he took whilst fiddling with a couple of features, "I can use this as part of a new blog, perhaps for this new adventure we're all going to be embarking on."

"That's nice… Well… We should get going…" I stutter at this point, wanting to just remove the both of us from the awkwardness of the situation.

I latched my arm onto Fumiko's arm, looking at her, trying to gesture her to move towards the main building again. As our eyes met, she stared at me for a few seconds, then to Rinji who was still watching us, then back to myself again. She was totally debating whether to stay despite being flustered or give in to the easier option of finding new people. After a minute of Miss Overanalyser's mental rebuttal showdown, I could feel the breath of a small sigh as he finally accepted the fact that it wasn't worth staying.

Looking at the front entrance of the main building as we gradually wandered over, Fumiko and I knew that this building would house more of these Ultimate students like ourselves; students who all had no idea what was going on, and were forced into this barren wasteland against their own will. What we wouldn't know is that this building would hold more than the Ultimates. It would also hold a horrific curse, horrific lies and a future that was truly beyond salvation.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading the first official part of the prologue and I hope you enjoyed it! For everyone whose OC's have appeared so far I really do hope I have portrayed them well enough and if you have any ways I could improve on it I would love it if you send me some constructive criticism in the DMs you used originally to send the form. In terms of the next chapter, I have decided not to do a regular update system and instead will simply try and upload new chapters as often as I can as I'd hate to promise to upload chapters on specific dates then and then be unable to upload anything due to real life reasons. Again, thank you and I hope to see you all next for the introduction of some more OC's in The Depths of Despair!**


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